


Burn

by eni_gma



Category: Original Work
Genre: Arson, Best Friends, Car Accidents, Childhood Trauma, Crimes & Criminals, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Falling In Love, Family Member Death, Fantasy, Fire, Flirting, Gay, Good versus Evil, Lesbian, Murder, Nightmares, Non-Graphic Violence, Non-binary character, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Plants, Revenge, Superpowers, Swearing, Talking To Dead People, Trauma, cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:01:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28378893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eni_gma/pseuds/eni_gma
Summary: Luna Patten and Tor Kelly are two people with special abilities trying to take down the head crime boss in Los Angeles. Somewhere along the way, things get a little complicated. What do you do when you fall in love with a wanted arsonist?
Relationships: Phoenix Covet/Luna Patten
Kudos: 2





	1. I Just Want to Start a Flame in Your Heart

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first piece of writing I've ever posted somewhere, so I hope you enjoy! While reading, keep in mind that Tor is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. This chapter is also a lot shorter than the other chapters. Thanks for reading! :)

"Name's Phoenix. And you are?" Luna gazed at the woman standing in front of her. She was young, couldn't be much older than 20. Her limbs were slim but toned. She was strong, but somehow elegant and graceful. Her eyes were bloodred, like water after a shark attack. Her pale skin looked gold from the light of the flames dancing around them. Phoenix held out her hand, apparently waiting for Luna to shake it.

"I'm not shaking your hand," she answered coldly. This woman, like all beautiful women, was dangerous and Luna knew it. She knew the crimes she had committed. First the Los Angeles City Hall, then the Spring Street Courthouse, and now The Hall of Administration. She looked around at the building, which was burning to the ground with them in it.

"Oh, feisty are we?" Phoenix circled Luna like a predator stalking its prey. With each step, the fire seemed to move, like it was making way for her. After making a full circle around Luna, Phoenix stood facing her, ID in hand. "Luna Patten, huh? Sounds fancy. Interesting,"

"How did you get my-"

"Shh! I'm _reading,_ " After a moment, she looked up from the ID. "Do you like to dance?"

Luna blinked. "What?"

"Do you like to dance?" she repeated. Luna stared at her. This building was burning down, they were about to die and this woman was asking if she wanted to _dance?_ Luna pulled out her taser.

"You're going to jail," she said, trying not to breathe in the toxic air. "For a very long time." The flames grew bigger and hotter. A drop of black sweat slid down Luna's face, which was covered in ash and dust.

"You better put that thing away, madam," Phoenix smirked, the fire around Luna getting bigger. "Or your little boyfriend won't have someone to cuddle tonight," Luna's face hardened, her eyes narrowing. "Or, _girlfriend?_ " she questioned.

"Neither, actually," Luna growled as she put her taser back in its holster. "Not right now, at least."

"Well, that's a relief. I try not to flirt with taken women," Phoenix smirked harder, her eyes flashing orange. "But I would have made an exception for you," Luna blushed, then realized where she was and immediately put her guard back up. She was so close to stopping more than half of LA's crimes, and she couldn't afford to let the most powerful gang leader in the city get away. It was like Tor said, _"The organization is a weed. Cut the root and the rest will die."_ Luna reached for the canister of water on her belt. Phoenix frowned and a flame licked Luna's hand. She pulled away, her hand burnt.

"Do you think I'm stupid? You're not getting water. For all I know you're hydrokinetic," Luna sighed. "I guess I'll just take _that,_ " Phoenix said, snatching the canister. "And I think I'll boil it, just in case," She opened the canister and a fire lit in her hand. The water started to evaporate, and Phoenix watched her hand, making the flames dance across her fingertips. Instead of scattering, the steam gathered in a circle close to the ceiling. When all the water was evaporated, the circle condensed more and more until it was a big ball of water the size of a balloon. 

When Phoenix turned to Luna, it dropped onto her head and the fire around them became smaller and weaker. Her scarlet hair now deep brown, Phoenix screamed and fell to the ground. Luna reached for her taser, but when she turned Phoenix was gone.

She sprinted out of the building as fast as she could. The fire was getting stronger again, and the walls were crumbling around her. When she was out, she turned around and looked at the building, which was burning even brighter than when she had gotten there. On the roof, she could see a silhouette. Without a second look, she knew who it was. For a split second, the shadow's face was illuminated by the fire. Phoenix stared at Luna, a grin stretched across her face. Flames flickered in front of her and then she was gone. Luna ran to her car and drove home, covered in ash, dust, and defeat.

  
  


Luna walked inside and went into the kitchen. After taking two ibuprofen and a Tylenol, she sat down on the couch with a bowl of ice water, dunked her burnt hand in it, and turned on the TV. As she was flipping through channels, she heard someone walking down the stairs. Tor walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch beside her, spilling some of the water.

"Tor!" Luna looked at them angrily.

"What? You can just put it back in the bowl," they replied. Luna lifted the water and the ice and made it into a floating orb, pulling it out of the couch and placing it back into the bowl. "You look like shit," Tor laughed.

"Wow, I hadn't noticed," Luna turned off the TV and turned to them. "I saw her,"

"Who?"

"Phoenix," Luna whispered. The silence between them was loud. Tor looked down, their mint hair covering their deep brown eyes. After a minute of dead air, Tor spoke.

“What did she look like?” they asked. Luna remembered the way her eyes flashed, the way the flames danced around her like she was the queen of a world no one else knew about. She remembered the way she smirked, her eyes thin and her mouth even thinner. She remembered how her arms looked perfectly fragile, but you could tell they were strong enough to do some serious damage. 

“She was… terrifyingly beautiful,” she replied. “Like fire,” 

They sat in silence for another minute. 

"What happened?" they asked. Luna didn't know what to say.

"She asked me if I like to dance," she said. Tor looked at her, trying to tell if she was joking.

"I'm sorry, I could've sworn you said she-"

"Asked me if I like to dance," Luna finished. "She told me her name, tried to shake my hand, stole my ID, and then asked me if I like to dance. Then she started _flirting_ with me. I tried to make cuffs, but she burnt my hand before I could open my canister and then boiled the water. All I could do was drop some water on her and get out before I burned to death," 

Tor stared at her. Then they stood up and went into the kitchen. When they came back, they had a dying plant. They sat gently and looked down at the plant.

"Could you save the building?" they asked, stroking the plant's leaves. One by one, Luna watched the leaves turn green, the stem grow straighter until the plant looked like it had been flourishing for years.

"I will never get tired of seeing you do that," Luna said, mesmerized by the bright yellow flowers that were starting to bloom. Tor took their finger out of the soil. Luna heard a sniffle and watched as a drop of water fell onto a leaf and rolled off, into the soil. Tor looked up at her, tears in their eyes.

"Could you _save_ the _building?_ "

Luna's throat went dry. "I- I'm sorry," Her voice cracked. "I... couldn't save it." The plant in Tor's hand wilted, the bright green turning to the brown it had been when Tor brought it in.

Tor got up and walked to the kitchen. Luna followed them. They sat the plant on the windowsill, next to healthy plants. When they turned around, Luna could see the hurt in their eyes. Tor looked into Luna's eyes and straightened their back. They gave Luna a hug and sat back down on the couch, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV.

"Tor," Luna said, sitting down next to them. "Tor, I'm so, so sorry. I tried as hard as I could. I know how many memories you had there. Memories... with them," Luna paused. Tor looked at her. She could see how hurt they were, how much they wanted to break down, but she knew they wouldn't.

Tor smiled at her as a single tear ran down their cheek. "It's not your fault. I know you tried. It's okay," they said, their voice shaking. "And this is the closest you've gotten to catching Phoenix. You'll get her soon, I know you will," Tor looked at the TV. The news was on, doing a segment about The Hall of Administration burning down."There's nothing good on. I think I'm just gonna go to bed. I'll see you in the morning." Tor got up and started walking upstairs.

"Tor,"

Tor turned.

"We'll get her."

Tor looked at her for a moment and then smiled sadly.

"Yeah," they said, and disappeared upstairs.


	2. Collateral Damage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tor remembers their family and destroys their room in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back to a moderately adequate piece of writing, This is just a heads up that there's death and violence in this chapter. Just mind the tags and you should be fine though. There's also a little cursing. I mean, not public middle school amounts, but there's some. So if any of those things trigger you, this probably isn't the story for you. The rest of the chapters will probably be a lot longer than the first so yay! I hope you like the story and talk to me in the comments because I crave social interaction. 
> 
> TLDR: TRIGGER WARNING: death, violence, trauma, cursing.

When Luna finally got into the shower, it was almost two in the morning.

After Tor went to sleep, she sat on the couch and processed everything that happened. She felt so guilty for not being able to save The Hall of Administration, especially because of how upset she knew Tor was. Their parents had worked at that building before they died. Tor knew everyone who worked there. They'd gone there every month since they were 17 to make sure all the plants were thriving. Luna went with them once, and she saw how connected they were to everyone and everything there. Tor was a lot calmer than most people, but when they were there they seemed especially grounded. That place was a part of them, and she let it burn to the ground.

After that, she went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She made the water as hot as possible and watched the steam rise before getting in and sitting on the floor. As she felt the dirt and grime roll off of her, she thought about everything that happened at The Hall of Administration. 

She remembered how strange Phoenix had been, asking her if she liked to dance. And flirting with her. _Flirting_ with her! Luna’s cheeks burned red. Phoenix was just trying to bait her. She was just playing mind games. Luna knew it was wrong to give her the time of day -or _night_ \- that she wanted. She knew it was just a trick she used to get herself inside Luna’s head so she could get away.

But it worked, didn’t it? _._

She stood up and washed her hair, pushing the thoughts from her mind. What she needed now was to finish her shower and get some rest. She rinsed out the shampoo, watching as the black bubbles stained the tile floor. As she walked out of the bathroom, she glanced into the mirror. Her hair had gone from inky black to its usual shades, half purple and half blonde. Her skin was rid of all the gray dust and dirt, back to the warm almond color it normally was. As she finished getting dressed, she heard talking coming from the hallway. Tor had gone to sleep hours ago, so who was it? Luna went back into the bathroom and made an ice dagger, worried someone had broken in. As she walked down the hallway, she could hear the voice more clearly. It sounded like Tor, but they never stayed up past midnight. Luna walked towards Tor’s room, listening closely. 

It _was_ Tor, but who were they talking to? No one else was here and they'd broken their phone a few weeks ago. Luna knocked on the door. When no one answered, she opened the door a little and looked through the crack. She didn’t see anyone so she walked in, careful not to make a sound. She looked around, trying to figure out where the talking was coming from.

All the plants in the room looked less alive than usual. They were wilting and their color was draining, turning from their turquoises and rich greens to ugly browns and yellows. She melted the dagger and put a little bit of water in the soil of each pot as she looked around. A tiny brown convertible sat on top of a photo. Luna picked it up. 

The picture was of Tor and a woman standing in front of a beautiful garden. The woman had deep brown eyes and curly green hair. She was beautiful, like the sunrise on the first day of spring. She was wearing a flowy purple dress with tiny flowers and butterflies embroidered on it and puffy sleeves that were so light you could see her tan skin through them. Her hair had butterflies in it, and Luna couldn’t tell whether they were fake or real. The woman looked young in the picture, probably in her late 20’s.

The woman’s arms were wrapped around Tor, who couldn’t have been older than 6 or 7. Luna knew it was them because they had the same deep brown eyes and the same mint green hair. They were wearing overalls with a big green A on them. In their hands was a potted plant with bright yellow flowers that were just starting to bloom. Tor was smiling hard, their wide grin showing their missing front teeth. 

Luna wondered what the big A on Tor’s overalls stood for. She put down the photo, placed the toy car back on top, and walked over to Tor’s bed.

She didn’t recognize the person lying in the bed. Their eyes were puffy and their olive cheeks were stained from tears. “Tor?” she whispered. She could see their mouth moving, and realized that they were talking in their sleep. She closed her eyes and listened to what they were saying.

Tor was sitting on a bed in a room that seemed familiar. They looked around, scanning all the toys and art supplies that were all over the place. Murals and art supplies covered every surface in the room, other than a desk that had lots of different plants on it, thriving in the midday sun. A giant light-up A hung next to the door. Tor walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs to find a woman standing in the living room.

The woman looked young, probably in her early thirties. She had thick green hair and beautiful brown eyes. She was wearing a lavender dress with sleeves so thin you could see her tan, freckled arms through them. Her hair had lots of multicolored butterfly clips in it, so realistic they almost looked real. Tor watched as a butterfly fluttered and changed positions in the woman’s hair. They _were_ real. No, no they couldn’t be. Only one person in the world kept _live_ butterflies in her hair. Tor stared at the woman, unable to move.

The woman turned around and saw them standing in the doorway.

“Well, look who’s up!” she said, smiling. She walked over to them. “You missed breakfast, but I saved you a muffin,” She said, walking into the kitchen. Tor followed her silently. The woman grabbed the muffin off the stove and handed it to them. “Here you go. It’s pumpkin.”

Tor looked at her, then at the muffin, and then back at her. They had so many questions, but the only word they could push out of their mouth was:

“Mom?” 

The woman laughed.

“Yeah, I know it’s not your favorite. But your brother’s been begging me to make them for weeks,” Tor’s face lit up when she mentioned their brother. He was here? How? And how was their mom here? What was going on?

“Asa’s here?” Tor asked excitedly. They hadn’t seen Asa in years. He was more than their brother. Asa was their best friend. Even Luna didn’t know them as well as he did. Well, as he used to.

“No, he just left to get paint for the mural he’s painting on the garden wall. Actually, that reminds me, Dad said he wanted your help in the garden once you got up. Some of his mini roses have spider mites and he doesn’t want to kill them,” She pointed at a glass door on the other side of the room. Outside, Tor could see a giant garden, filled with plants of every color. They walked through the door, stepping into the garden.

Luna tried to make sense of what Tor was saying. 

“Mom?” they said. “Pumpkin?”

Luna had no clue what Tor was talking about. Then suddenly, Tor gasped loudly. 

“Asa?” they exclaimed. “Here?” Tor smiled widely, making all the plants in the room grow flowers that glowed in the dark. A tear fell from Tor’s eye as their voice quieted. Luna admired the flowers at first, their colorful light making the room look like a pride parade. Then she realized what it meant. 

The nightmares always started like this. Tor would be happy and the plants around them would too. She could tell how happy they were by how healthy the plants got, and from what she could see, Tor was having the time of their life. The only problem was, the higher you get, the farther you have to fall.

She wondered who Asa was. Tor didn’t like to talk about their past. Luna barely knew anything about Tor’s family, only that they died when Tor was pretty young. She assumed they were terakinetic, like Tor, but she didn’t know for sure. She kept listening to Tor’s muttering and tried to put the puzzle together. 

As Tor stepped into the garden, they took in all the amazing flora and fauna. There were fuzzy bees and rainbow butterflies resting on dark green leaves and turquoise hummingbirds drinking from orange feeders. A mother rabbit ran past their feet, hopping over to her burrow full of tiny kindles with a mouthful of grass and flowers. They walked down the main path, looking for their father. Part of them didn’t believe he’d be there, but another part of them really hoped he was. 

“Asa! Back from the store already?” Tor turned to see where the voice was coming from. They saw a man kneeling next to a bed of roses, wearing a light pink shirt with dark blue jeans. His clothes and bright blue hair were covered in dirt, as were his big, calloused hands. His almond skin shone with sweat and his slate eyes twinkled in the sunlight. He gestured for Tor to come to him.

“Oh. Um, I’m not Asa,” Tor said. They pointed back at their mother, who was sitting at the table, eating the muffin that they'd left behind. “She said you wanted my help.”

Tor’s father laughed heartily. “Oh sorry!” He scratched his head, getting even more dirt in his hair. “I thought you’d sleep for a couple more hours! Yeah, I do need your help,” he said as he started walking down the aisle. “I was going to ask if you can protect my roses without hurting the spider mites.” Tor followed him to the roses. Sure enough, there were lots of tiny black and white bugs crawling around on the roses. 

“Protect them?” Tor asked.

“Yeah. I don’t wanna kill the spider mites, because they need somewhere to live. The only problem is that they’re eating my plants. Can you change the roses so the mites can’t eat them? Then the mites can keep their home, or they might move and then the problem would be gone,” Tor looked at the plant again. They might be able to do that. They hoped they could. They hadn’t seen their dad in years and they wanted to make him proud.

“Maybe. I can try,” Tor said, putting two fingers into the soil next to the closest rose’s stem. They closed their eyes and focused, concentrating on the spider mites and their webs. The stems of the roses got darker and firmer and the flowers began to bloom. Tor pulled their fingers out, careful not to overdo it. Their dad smiled at them, relieved. 

“Thanks, Tor. I owe you one,” Their dad said. Tor smiled back and hugged their dad, tears in their eyes. They’d always loved his hugs, so tight and genuine. Just as they were letting go, Tor saw someone get out of a brown convertible and start walking towards them. He had mint hair, deep brown eyes, and olive skin. In his hands were two big bags full of paint. He was wearing black jeans and a smock splattered in paint. On the smock, Tor could make out one giant letter under all the paint.

A big brown A.

Luna was laying next to Tor now, listening to their words and watching the flowers become brighter. She was exhausted, but she had to stay and make sure they were okay. Tor used to get terrible nightmares about their past. They never told her what happened in them, but she would always hear them talking in their sleep the before they had one. She hadn’t heard them doing it for almost two years now, and if they were coming back she knew she had to be there for them. It wasn’t a coincidence that they were coming back tonight, either. She knew it wasn’t. Tor was getting nightmares again and it was because she couldn’t save that building. 

“I’m not Asa,” Tor muttered. “Protect the plants… Asa?” Tears were streaming down Tor’s face now, soaking their pillow. A small smile formed on their lips.

Who could Asa be? Luna tried to think. Did Tor have siblings? She didn’t think so, but she didn’t know for sure. She wished she could travel back in time and see into their past. Maybe then she could help them get rid of the nightmares. Luna sat quietly and waited for Tor to say more. Maybe then she could figure out who Asa was. 

Tor let go of their father and stared at Asa, smiling so wide it made their cheeks hurt. Tears streamed down their face. Asa saw his sibling crying and laughed.

“I thought I was supposed to be the sensitive one,” they said. Tor sprinted down the aisle towards Asa and hugged him as hard as they could. “Whoa!” Asa said, surprised. They put down the bags in their hands and hugged Tor back. When they finally let go, Tor couldn’t stop smiling at their brother.

“You’re… you’re here,” they whispered. 

“Uh, yeah, I was only gone for an hour,” Asa replied. Then, he lowered his voice so that their father couldn’t hear him. “Are we doing the ‘twins switch places’ thing? Because if so, dial it down a little? I’m not _that_ emotional,” 

Tor laughed. “No, we’re not doing the thing. I’m just- I’m just really glad to see you.” They looked their twin up and down, amazed. “You’re an adult,” they said.

“And so are you?” Asa answered, confused. “We’ve been the same age since we were born,” He puffed his chest. “Though I am four minutes older,”

“No, but- you’re _here._ And mom, a-and dad,” Tor was crying again now. “I don’t know how, but I’m just- I'm just so happy,” Their father walked over, looking concerned.

“What’s going on?” he asked Tor. 

“Hey, are you alright? You’re acting weird,” Asa put his hand on Tor’s back and started walking them into the house. “Maybe you need to eat. Let’s go to the kitchen. I’ll make you some of my fries,” Tor didn’t want to go, but they missed their brother’s fries so much that they didn’t care. 

“With the sauce?” they asked. Asa nodded and they followed him into the house.

They walked inside as their mother was walking out. Tor watched her hair flutter behind her as she went past. Inside, Asa made fries and sauce and handed them to Tor when they were finished. 

“Here you go. I’m gonna start on my mural outside. Yell if you need me,” Tor watched as Asa walked out the door. They looked at the fries sitting in front of them. These were fries you couldn’t get anywhere else. As they took a bite, they knew they wouldn’t be able to savor these fries for as long as they wanted. They were just too good. Asa had always refused to give anyone his recipe. He’d always make them for Tor when they got home from school. The siblings would sit and eat and talk about whatever was on their minds. They told each other everything, until…

“How… Asa… paint...” Tor said as they rolled over. Luna watched as the plants in the room stopped blooming, their flowers going from neon colors to normal purples and reds. She knew the drop was coming soon, so she sat on the floor next to Tor and held their hand. It didn’t matter who Asa was or why Tor was dreaming of them, all that mattered was that she was there for Tor when they needed her.

“I’m here, T,” she whispered. “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

Tor got up from the table and walked outside after they finished. They walked around, admiring the plants. They saw a frog and picked it up, wanting to show it to Asa. 

“Asa! Asa come look!” they shouted. They walked through rows of flowers and fruit, but they couldn’t find their brother. “Asa! Where are… you?” Tor’s voice faded. Sitting at the end of the aisle was a small potted plant. Tor walked towards it and picked it up. Tor watched as a small yellow marigold bloomed right in front of them. Hands shaking, they sat the pot back on the ground. 

“Asa!” they screamed, tears in their eyes. “Asa! Mom! Dad! Please, answer me!” Tor started sprinting to the house. Ivy leaves grabbed at their ankles. Birds dived at them and mice chased them. Even snails tried to trip them as they ran into the house.

When they finally got inside, they slammed the door shut and grabbed their phone off the counter. They couldn't find anyone’s contact so they dialed Asa’s number. They paced the kitchen as the phone rang.

“Come on, Asa. Pick up.”

Tor was tossing and turning now, breathing hard and sweating harder. 

“Pick up, Asa,” they said. “Asa... Pick up,” Luna grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from their face. She was about to try to wake them up when she remembered that you’re not supposed to wake up a Special during an episode. If she tried to wake them up now, their powers might spike and they could end up hurting themself. She held their hand, putting ice in the towel and holding it to their forehead, praying that Asa, whoever they were, would pick up.

“What’s up?” 

“Where the hell are you?” Tor yelled. 

“Whao. First of all, calm down. I’m in the car with Mom and Dad. Why are you so upset?”

“Why the hell are you in the car?”

“Mom and Dad had to run to Home Depot and I forgot something from the store. We figured we’d just ride together. _Why are you so upset?_ ”

“Shit, Asa!” Tor wiped their brow, which was covered in sweat. “Why didn’t you bring me with you?”

“Because you’ve been acting weird all morning! We figured you were sick! NOW WILL YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHY YOU’RE SO UPSET?” 

“Asa, what’s wrong?” asked their mom. 

“Nothing, Mom,” Asa replied, lowering his voice. “Tor, why are you so upset?” Asa asked, restraining himself from screaming. 

“Because I can’t lose you again, Asa!”

Asa was quiet for a moment. 

“What do you mean ‘again’?” 

Tor was thrashing now. All the plants in the room were dead. Dirt was starting to fly out of pots and form a tornado in the middle of the room. Luna was in the bed on top of Tor, trying to stop them from hurting themself. She kneeled over them, holding a blanket over them so that they wouldn’t get hit by dirt, and put pillows on their hands so that they couldn’t scratch themself. She had never seen the nightmares get this bad. Tor was speaking louder now. 

“Where are you? I can’t lose you!” 

Tears formed in Luna’s eyes. All of this was because of her. If she had just caught Phoenix, none of this would be happening. The building would be saved and Tor wouldn’t be so upset. She sighed, hoping this nightmare would be over soon.

Asa listened as his sibling sobbed over the phone. 

“BECAUSE YOU FUKING DIED ASA! You _died._ When we were 17. You and Mom and Dad went to the store and left me here and- and you _died_ ,” Tor could barely breathe, they were crying so hard. They’d never talked about it with anyone, not even Luna. “They- The cops came and they said- they told me the car in front of you- it exploded and you guys crashed and-” Tor cried to their brother on the phone. 

“Hey, hey it’s okay. Tor, I’m here," Asa tried to calm them down. "It’s okay. We’ll be home really soon okay? I love you,” Asa said, his tone comforting. 

“Wait- please don’t- can you just stay on the phone? Please?” 

“Ok, T. If that’s what you want. Can I put you on speaker?”

“Ok,”

“Ok, you’re on speaker now. Mom and Dad are right here. Guys, it’s Tor,”

“Hey hon!” said their mom. “Everything ok?”

“Yeah, are you alright?” asked their Dad. Tor sniffled. It felt good to hear their voices. 

“Yeah, I’m- I’m ok,” they replied.

“Oh, hey can you take the chicken out of the freezer and thaw it? I forgot to before we- whoa. Birch? Birch, look at the car in front of us,” Mom said, pointing at the car in front of them.

“What in the- Asa, you seeing this?” 

“Yeah, that’s really weird,” Tor started to get nervous. 

“Guys? Hey, hey what’s going on? Asa?” They asked. 

“There’s black smoke coming out of the car in front of us,” Asa answered, watching the smoke become thicker and darker. 

“Asa, hang up. I need to focus on driving. I can’t see,” said Mom.

“Tor, Mom says I have to hang up. I love y-”

Tor heard a loud noise and then silence. They looked at their phone. The call had ended. 

“No. No, no, no, no,” They called Asa again. 

“Hey, it’s Asa. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you,” Tor hung up and called again. 

“Hey, it’s Asa. Leave a message and-” They hung up and called again. 

“Hey, it’s Asa. Leave a-” They called again and again, but it went to voicemail every time. 

“Mom, Mom I have to call Mom,” They typed in her number and pressed dial.

“You’ve reached Terra Kelly. Leave a message and I’ll be sure to call you soon,” said the recording. 

“NO!” Tor screamed. They hung up and called their dad. 

“This is Birch Kelly. Leave a message and I’ll call you back,” 

“NO! NO!” Tor screamed, tears running down their face. They called Asa again.

“Hey, it’s Asa. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you,” there was a loud beep. 

“ASA! ANSWER YOUR FUCKING PHONE! PLEASE! Please!”

  
  


Tor was going crazy now. They were swinging their arms and dirt was flying everywhere. Almost everything in the room had been sucked up into the tornado of dirt and broken pottery in the middle of the room. Luna was still on top of Tor, trying to protect them from themself. A piece of a broken pot slashed her on the arm, giving her a deep gash. She was using every bit of water she could find to create a shield around them. If she got hurt, she could handle it. Tor was already hurting so much, they didn’t deserve more. 

For a moment, the storm slowed down, and Luna thought Tor was going to be okay. Then it became so strong that it knocked Luna off Tor, and then it stopped completely. Tor gasped loudly and shot up, covered in dirt, sweat, and water. They stood up, taking in the wreckage of their room. They looked at the floor and saw something shining in the moonlight. They bent down to pick it up. 

In Tor’s hand was a tiny brown convertible, complete with a shattered windshield, a missing tire, and a giant dent in the front. 

Tor fell to the ground, crying harder than they’d ever cried before. They screamed until they ran out of air, and then they screamed some more. Shards of glass and terracotta stabbed their knees but they didn’t care. They cried so hard that everything else disappeared, and they didn’t even feel it when someone sat down on the broken pottery next to them. They didn’t feel it when she wrapped her arms around them, pulling them into her. They didn’t see that she was bloody and bruised. The only reason they knew she was there, is because of what she said. 

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. Tor, I’m here.”


End file.
